By Theophilus Chibuzo Oliver
The Office of the Registrar, on Wednesday, 18 March 2025, released a memorandum announcing the mandatory upload of final year research projects to the University of Benin Institutional Repository as a prerequisite for mobilisation into the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
According to the memorandum, “The Nigeria Education Repository Databank (NERD) has made it mandatory for all graduating students to upload their final year research project to the University’s Institutional Repository before National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) mobilisation can be effected.”
In compliance with this directive, graduating students have commenced the submission of their research projects on Compact Discs (CDs) to the John Harris Library for upload into the Institutional Repository. However, it has been discovered that some of the CDs submitted are blank and devoid of any research content. This contradicts the purpose of the repository upload exercise and constitutes a breach of the new NYSC requirements.
Consequently, graduating students who intend to participate in the NYSC scheme are advised to verify that their research projects have been successfully uploaded and are accessible via the University’s Institutional Repository at: https://ir.uniben.edu.newgenlibctxt/
Furthermore, any graduating student who discovers that their research project has not been uploaded, or who previously submitted a blank CD, is required to take immediate corrective action. Such students should copy the complete research project onto a readable CD and proceed to the John Harris Library with a copy of their Statement of Results to resubmit the CD for proper assessment before upload into the repository.
In conclusion, all graduating students are strongly advised to treat the contents of this memorandum with utmost seriousness.